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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · bulb · board · tear · charge · saw · fan · hand

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. fall — to drop
  3. charge — electricity
  4. hand — help
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bulb — for light
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. board — a committee
  10. bulb — for light
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fall — the season
  13. charge — in control
  14. hand — in cards
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. saw — the tool
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fall — to drop
  21. charge — a price
  22. board — to get on
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. tear — from crying

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com